Gretsch 6120TM Tiger Maple Nashville Japan 2011
The 6120AM is also available in Amber Maple, equally stunning!
Up for review here is a lovely 6120TM made in 2011. This is an adjunct of the incarnation of the 6120 're-issue' which was introduced in the 1990's when Fred Gretsch bought the company and production was started with three Japanese companies to make the guitars, Dyna Gakki, Terada and Fuji-Gen.
This version of the guitar was about £300 more expensive than the standard 6120 and essentially, the difference is only the maple veneers used on the top back and sides. These are stunning to look at and very best quality Maple is used.
The guitar is the classic Western Orange stain over laminated maple. The three piece neck is a maple sandwich between which sits a thin strip of an ebony colour wood. The body is the standard 6120 depth as on these reissues, the 1959, 60 and 61 all got slimmer by the year.
The guitar is fitted out with gold hardware from the 58 onwards era and has the 1959 style V Bigsby B6G, with the flat swing out handle. The bridge is a modern tunamatic type.
At the headstock end, we have the Gretsch T roof logo and the horseshoe inlay which is placed on a lovely rippled Maple capping piece, stained a chestnut brown. On the Amber Maple the cap is black. The new Brian Setzer Hot Rod in Amber Maple has a flame Maple headstock overlay.
Pickups are High Sensitive Filtertrons which are standard output and give a great sound, the tone is derived from a tone switch circuitry set up as found on the 58 onwards guitars, depending on which part of the year a 58 was made in.
Machine heads are those nice 18:1 style Grover sealed units in gold plate.
Build quality and finish are superb, faultless in fact. The Japanese makers - Dyna Gakki, Fuji-Gen and Terada are all top line manufacturers and there is not a stray glue blob anywhere inside this guitar as with any of the Professional series guitars these producers make.
Playing wise, the guitar is superb and gives a great spectrum of sound from jazz and country through to hard driving playing. Of course the open f-holes and hollow body does preclude it from high gain distortion playing!
The guitar comes with a nice quality hard case, often these are made by TKL in Canada. A more expensive 'Cowboy' replica case is available as an aftermarket alternative.
So what about price? The standard 6120 is about £2850 new as a guide with a secondhand one from £1650 to £2000 depending on age. These have started to climb in value recently and are now at the £1800 range used. An orange Maple does not come up that often used and expect to pay £1800-2000 for a used one they are listed at £2850 new, but that is likely an old price, for a new old stock one if you can find one like this.
A 'Player's edition' which is slightly thinner and has Sperzel locking tuners and TV Jones Classics is on sale for around £2900, these are a recent addition, updating the 6120 to include a pinned tunamatic bridge.
The 6120 Japan reissue is a great guitar and you would find it a very versatile guitar that is also striking looking. Buy one before they get out of reach.
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